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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · court · coach · scale · board · suit · branch · rash

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. rash — hasty
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. court — of a king
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. suit — in cards
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cap — a hat
  12. scale — in music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rash — a series
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. board — a committee
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — clothes
  21. cap — a lid
  22. board — to get on
  23. cap — of ice
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com